The dust hasn’t yet settled from the free agency fireworks of a week-and-a-half ago, never mind last week’s blockbuster trades, so I’m hesitant to predict how much the Red Wings have improved within the highly competitive Atlantic Division.
That being said, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen gives that particular task a go this morning, delving into the topic over the course of a subscriber-only article. Allen’s in-depth analysis of what each Atlantic Division team did to improve itself leads to a logical conclusion, and here’s his logic for said suggestion as to the Red Wings’ ultimate fate:
You are lying to yourself if you think you know what this group can do. The Red Wings have too many variables, too many unknowns, to even make a truly educated guess. Yzerman changed one-third of his roster with his additions. The roster shake-up could reach 40 to 50 percent if Simon Edvinsson and/or Jonatan Berggren or Elmer Soderblom make the roster. A source tells Detroit Hockey Now the Red Wings believe Berggren and Soderblom have a chance of playing in the NHL this season.
If Edvinsson, as expected, earns one of the top six defense spots, then the Red Wings will have four newcomers among their top six defenders. Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek will be the only holdovers.
The Red Wings have more players than roster spots, but Yzerman has said that he will make room on the roster if a rookie deserves to be on the team.
All we know for sure is the talent level is much improved because of Yzerman’s free agent shopping. Andrew Copp and David Perron add hard-nosed play to the team.’s top six forward group. Perron should help the power play. The goaltending should be stronger.
Another factor is that Seider, Raymond, Rasmussen, Joe Veleno, Filip Zadina and Nedeljkovic should continue to improve.
But the real X factor on the Red Wings is the new coach Lalonde. If he has the impact the Red Wings hope he has, the team might be able to take a quantum leap in terms of contending for the playoffs. The belief is he will demand stronger defensive play this season.
Allen continues and offers a conclusion which I’m leaving out for sake of respecting the paywall, but you can guess that the Wings’ playoff chances are probably pretty hazy this season.
The team’s playoff chances most likely depend upon everything breaking Detroit’s way in terms of improvement on special teams, defense, scoring and especially injuries (that’s my take, anyway). The revamped coaching staff will need to gel and make an impact in every aspect of the retooled Wings’ games on individual and collective levels for the team to pass a Boston or Ottawa to snag the division’s final playoff spot.
Last season, the wheels fell off the Red Wings’ playoff train halfway through the season, and everything seemed to derail in short order. This year, a clearer sense of direction and a sturdier undercarriage might deliver playoff success…
But my hope is that fans focus more on the team playing in more competitive games on a more regular basis, because that’s going to be the realistic focus for this upcoming season. Getting the details right on special teams, defense and scoring, while earning some luck on the injury front (and you can add more consistent goaltending to the mix) should help make this team more competitive.
